Reading Notes: Productivity Tips, Hints, Hacks & Tricks for Grad Students & Academics

Published on 2015 by Matt Might, this article provides a comprehensive list of productivity tips for graduate students and academics. It covers various aspects of academic life, including time management, research strategies, writing techniques, and collaboration methods.

However, some of the links and information in the original article may be outdated, as it was published several years ago. Hence I provide summarisation and comments that reflect the current context in 2025.

Matt Might’s Philosophy: Optimize Transaction Costs

Matt Might’s core productivity philosophy centers on a counterintuitive approach: rather than fighting against human nature, work with it by engineering your environment. His framework revolves around three key principles for optimizing transaction costs:

Reduce transaction costs to engaging in productive behavior.

Erect transaction costs to engaging in counter-productive behavior.

Minimize opportunity cost. Do what you’re best at doing, and partner with specialists when you need to do something else.

The third principle is particularly challenging for engineers and technically-minded individuals, who often feel compelled to do everything themselves simply because they can. However, this approach ignores the opportunity cost of time spent on tasks outside one’s core competencies.

In short, mold your life so that the path of least resistance is the path of maximum productivity.

Embracing “Productive Laziness”

Matt describes himself as fundamentally lazy—but rather than viewing this as a character flaw to overcome, he exploits it as a strategic advantage. His approach is to ensure that the laziest thing he can do at any moment is precisely what he should be doing.

This reframing is brilliant: instead of relying on willpower and discipline (finite resources that deplete throughout the day), he structures his environment so that productive behaviors become the default, easy choice.

The Science Behind the Strategy

Years after developing this philosophy, Matt discovered empirical support in the book Willpower, which surveys psychological research on self-control. The key insight: deliberately shaping the path of least resistance optimizes the use of willpower as a limited resource.

My Take: This aligns with modern behavioral psychology research showing that willpower is more like a muscle that fatigues than an unlimited resource. The most successful people aren’t necessarily those with the strongest willpower—they’re those who design their lives to require less of it.

Case Study: The Pull-Up Bar

Matt provides a compelling real-world example of his philosophy in action:

In my first year as a new professor, I wanted to start doing pull-ups, so I attached a portable pull-up bar to the door outside our bedroom. Every time I passed by, the transaction cost of a pull-up was near zero, so I did some pull-ups. Moreover, I didn’t have to remember to do pull-ups, because I saw the pull-up bar all the time.

The system worked perfectly—until it didn’t:

One day (for reasons unknown) the bar was taken down and placed on the floor. The bar lay on the floor for months, and I didn’t do another pull-up for years. It would have taken about ten seconds to re-install the bar, but I was often in a rush, and that ten seconds had become a transaction cost.

My Reflection: This anecdote perfectly illustrates how seemingly trivial barriers—just 10 seconds of effort—can completely derail good habits. It’s not about laziness in the traditional sense; it’s about recognizing that human behavior is heavily influenced by friction. When the bar was installed, doing pull-ups required zero decision-making and minimal effort. Once removed, that tiny added friction was enough to break the habit entirely.

This principle has broad applications:

Want to read more? Place books where you naturally rest.
Want to drink more water? Keep a filled water bottle at your desk.
Want to avoid social media rabbit holes? Log out after each session so logging back in creates friction.

Managing Distractions

Physical Environment Setup

The Home vs. Office Debate

Matt strongly advocates against working from home, arguing that:

Home is full of distractions. Academics have flexible schedules, which makes it all the more important to force yourself to go into work every day.

I agree with the core principle here: the home environment is inherently full of distractions—household chores, entertainment systems, comfortable beds, and the constant temptation to blur work-life boundaries. However, I think this advice needs significant contextualization for today’s reality.

Investing in Your Workspace

Matt recommends making your workspace comfortable and productive through several strategies:

Move your books into your work-space. This is a forcing function more than anything else. It’s hard to do work at home when references are at work.

Get an ergonomic office chair.

Get a high-quality ergonomic keyboard.

Decorate your work-space. Make it a fun place to be.

My Perspective: While the principle of creating environmental forcing functions is sound, this advice has significant limitations in 2025:

The digital library reality: Matt’s suggestion to move physical books to your office as a forcing function assumes physical reference materials. In 2025, most students and researchers rely heavily on e-books, PDFs, and online databases—accessible from anywhere with an internet connection. This eliminates the location-based barrier that physical books once provided.
For students and early-career researchers: Many don’t have permanent offices or move frequently between institutions. Investing heavily in decorating or personalizing a temporary workspace may not be practical.
The post-2020 reality: Remote and hybrid work have become standard. Many institutions now embrace flexible work arrangements. The key isn’t necessarily where you work, but rather creating a dedicated workspace with clear boundaries—whether that’s an office, a library study room, or a designated area at home.
Ergonomics matter universally: Regardless of location, investing in ergonomic equipment (chair, keyboard, desk setup) is valuable for long-term health. You don’t need specific brands—find what works for your body and budget.

Modern Equivalents for Digital Work:

Since we can’t rely on physical materials as forcing functions, consider these alternatives:

Use website blockers or app limiters on your home network/devices to restrict access to academic databases and work tools during non-work hours
Maintain separate browser profiles or user accounts for work versus personal activities
Use different devices for work and leisure (if feasible)
Configure your institutional VPN to only connect from specific locations or times

Practical Adaptation: If you work from home, apply Matt’s transaction cost principle digitally: create a dedicated workspace that you only use for work, remove distractions from that space, and establish rituals that signal “work mode” versus “home mode” (e.g., getting dressed, closing the door, using work-only devices or accounts).

Digital Temptations and Time-Wasters

The Problem: Online Addiction

Matt shares his personal struggle with online news addiction and the strategies he developed to combat it:

In graduate school, I developed an online news-reading addiction. I read everything: media sites, forum sites, voting sites, blogs, etc. My default behavior when I wasn’t doing something else became to reflexively type cnn.com, reddit.com or boingboing.net into my browser.

His solution was to block these sites entirely by modifying his /etc/hosts file. However, he found himself repeatedly unblocking sites “to check the news for a big story,” falling back into the addiction cycle. He eventually developed three core techniques:

Restrict access to optimal hours. Use browser extensions to limit browsing time-wasters to specific time periods when your brain is slowest (e.g., early morning or after work).

Dump polling as a web-surfing style. Compulsively checking sites for updates is inefficient and habit-forming, exploiting the psychological principle of intermittent reinforcement.

Use RSS aggregators to funnel all sites into a single stream, allowing you to scan everything once daily rather than constantly checking individual sites.

Matt eventually took an extreme approach: permanently blocking all time-wasters on his laptop. As he notes, “After withdrawal symptoms subsided, it’s been great.”

The Psychology Behind It: Matt highlights a crucial insight: randomly rewarding a behavior (finding something interesting on the 101st visit after 100 empty checks) creates the strongest conditioning and takes the longest to break. This is why “just checking” social media or news sites is so addictive.

2025 Update: Tools and Challenges

What’s Changed Since 2015:

The landscape of digital distraction has evolved significantly, making Matt’s strategies both more relevant and more challenging to implement:

Tools have evolved: While Matt mentioned LeechBlock, StayFocusd, and WasteNoTime, modern alternatives include:
- Freedom and Cold Turkey (cross-platform blockers with more robust features)
- One Sec (adds friction by making you wait and breathe before opening apps)
- Screen Time and Digital Wellbeing (built into iOS/Android)
- Browser-level controls like Focus Mode in Edge or Focus in Safari
Google Reader is gone (shut down in 2013), but RSS still exists:
- Modern RSS readers: Feedly, Inoreader, The Old Reader, NetNewsWire
- However, RSS has become less mainstream as platforms deliberately broke their RSS feeds to keep users on-platform
The problem has intensified: In 2025, we face challenges Matt didn’t:
- Algorithm-driven infinite scroll designed by teams of engineers to maximize engagement
- Push notifications from dozens of apps competing for attention
- Short-form video (TikTok, Reels, Shorts) optimized for addictiveness
- Smartphones make avoidance harder—blocking your laptop isn’t enough

My Perspective on the Extreme Approach:

Matt’s “permanent blocking” strategy is effective but requires certain conditions:

You need separate devices or a way to access blocked content when genuinely necessary
It works best for those with strong, specific productivity goals
It may be too extreme for those who need to monitor news for professional reasons (journalists, policy analysts, etc.)

A More Moderate Alternative

For those who find permanent blocking too extreme, here’s a graduated approach that still applies Matt’s transaction cost principle:

Tier 1: Add Friction Without Full Blocking

Log out of all social media after each use (forces intentional login)
Use browser extensions that ask “Are you sure?” before accessing time-wasting sites
Delete apps from your phone, keep only browser bookmarks (increases access friction)
Turn off all non-essential notifications
Use grayscale mode on your phone (reduces visual appeal)

Tier 2: Time-Boxing

Use website blockers with scheduled access windows (e.g., social media only 8-9 PM)
Implement a “check budget” (e.g., 3 times per day, 15 minutes each)
Use the Pomodoro Technique: work in focused blocks, allow brief checks during breaks

Tier 3: Intentional Consumption

Maintain a read-later list (Pocket, Instapaper) and process it during designated times
Use RSS/newsletters for intentional content consumption instead of platform browsing
Subscribe to quality sources (newspapers, magazines, curated newsletters) and unfollow/unsubscribe from everything else
Practice the “2-minute rule”: if you can’t articulate why you’re opening something, don’t

Tier 4: Environmental Design

Keep your phone in another room while working
Use separate user accounts/browsers for work vs. leisure
Create a “focus” workspace where blocked sites are inaccessible
Use accountability tools that share your usage with a friend or partner

The Key Insight: Start with Tier 1 and gradually increase restrictions as needed. The goal isn’t to completely eliminate all leisure browsing—it’s to make it intentional rather than reflexive. As Matt emphasizes, be prepared for withdrawal symptoms and use every anti-circumvention feature at first, gradually relaxing them as new habits form.

Entertainment Traps: The Streaming Problem

Matt’s advice from 2015 was straightforward:

I noticed leaving the TV on in the background could sap productivity all day long. With sites like Hulu, Netflix and iTunes, you don’t really need a cable bill anymore. I don’t miss TV at all.

The Irony: Matt’s recommendation to “get rid of your TV” and use streaming services has aged in an unexpected way. In 2015, cutting cable and using Hulu/Netflix felt like a minimalist, productivity-focused move. In 2025, streaming services have become their own productivity sink.

What’s Changed:

We went from 3 cable channels to dozens of streaming platforms (Netflix, Prime Video, Disney+, Apple TV+, etc.)
Autoplay and algorithm-driven recommendations designed to maximize watch time
“Prestige TV” creates cultural pressure to watch dozens of shows
Streaming is accessible on every device, not just TV

My Take: The real issue isn’t the physical TV—it’s passive content consumption eating into productive time. Matt’s underlying principle (eliminate background noise and unintentional watching) remains valid, but the solution needs updating:

Modern Alternative:

Intentional watching only: Decide what to watch before opening a streaming app, not after
Time-box entertainment: Schedule specific leisure time rather than having TV “on in the background”
Question the subscription stack: Do you need 5+ streaming services? Each one adds decision fatigue
Consider the “entertainment audit”: Track what you actually watch vs. what you think you watch—many people discover they barely use multiple subscriptions

A Balanced View: Unlike Matt’s “I don’t miss TV at all,” I’d say: carefully chosen entertainment can be valuable for rest and cultural engagement. The key is making it intentional rather than default behavior. Remove streaming apps from readily accessible devices, log out after each use, or use parental controls to add friction.

Optimizing Communication

Email Management

Matt describes his elaborate system for managing email across multiple accounts:

Email dominates working time in many fields and academia is no exception. I’ve spent considerable effort in taming the hydra that is email.

His 2015 solution involved:

Forwarding all email accounts to a single Gmail account

Using OfflineIMAP and notmuch for offline access and searching

The Mailbox app on iPhone for quick triage

Console-based mutt with vim for efficient email composition

Uploading years of email history to Gmail for searchability

His core principles remain valuable:

Once email reaches a critical volume, it’s important to disable notifiers. Restrict email to a few specific hours of the day, and answer in bulk.

2025 Reality: The Technical Stuff Got Much Easier

The complex technical setup Matt describes is largely unnecessary in 2025. Modern email clients have solved most of these problems out of the box:

Multi-Account Management:

Outlook (desktop and web) seamlessly handles multiple accounts with unified inbox, calendar integration, and excellent search
Apple Mail natively supports multiple accounts with smart mailboxes
Thunderbird (free, open-source) offers powerful multi-account features
Spark, Airmail, Canary (third-party clients) provide even more advanced features
Gmail itself now supports adding external accounts via POP/IMAP

Matt’s forwarding solution created a single point of failure and made it harder to reply from the correct account. Modern clients let you view everything in one place while maintaining proper separation.

Search and Offline Access:

All major email clients now offer full-text search across years of messages
Offline access is standard—no need for OfflineIMAP
Cloud sync keeps everything updated across devices automatically

Mobile Email:

The Mailbox app Matt mentioned shut down in 2015 (shortly after his article!)
Native mobile email apps are now very capable
Swipe gestures, snoozing, and quick actions are standard features

My Perspective on Email Management:

The technical setup is now trivial. The real challenge in 2025 is behavioral—managing the volume and expectations of email. Matt’s core principles remain the most valuable part:

Principles That Still Matter in 2025:

1. Disable Notifications

Email notifications are productivity killers—they fragment attention
Check email at designated times (e.g., 9 AM, 1 PM, 4 PM) rather than constantly
Use “Focus” modes or “Do Not Disturb” during deep work

2. Batch Processing

Answering emails in bulk is more efficient than handling them one-by-one throughout the day
Set aside specific time blocks for email processing
Use the “Two-Minute Rule”: if it takes less than 2 minutes, do it immediately; otherwise, schedule it

3. Unified Inbox (But Done Right)

Use filters and rules to automatically categorize incoming mail
Set up focused inbox or priority inbox to surface important messages
Create custom folders/labels for different projects or roles

4. Modern Additions to Consider:

Snooze and Scheduling:

Snooze emails to reappear when you can act on them
Schedule send times to avoid appearing “always available”
Use delayed send to draft emails anytime but send during work hours

Templates and Quick Replies:

Create canned responses for common questions
Use text expanders for frequent phrases
Outlook Quick Steps and Gmail Templates automate multi-step actions

Email Bankruptcy Prevention:

Use “archive” liberally—get to inbox zero regularly
Unsubscribe aggressively from newsletters you don’t read
Set up auto-filters for FYI emails and notifications
Consider OHIO principle: Only Handle It Once

Tools for Specific Use Cases:

SaneBox or Hey.com for aggressive inbox management
Superhuman if speed is critical and budget allows
Boomerang or FollowUpThen for email reminders and follow-ups

The “Reply to Public” Strategy

Matt introduces an excellent practice that deserves more attention:

If you find yourself giving a common answer to different questions or answering the same question repeatedly, it’s time to convert the answer into a blog post.

This principle is even more valuable in 2025:

Write once, share many times
Improves the answer through iteration and feedback
Benefits others facing the same questions
Searchable and linkable—better than buried in email threads

Modern implementation:

Use a personal wiki (Notion, Obsidian) for internal documentation
Write blog posts for public-facing FAQs
Create a lab/research group knowledge base
Link to existing answers rather than rewriting

Security and Encryption

Matt emphasizes encryption:

If you “care about privacy” but you’re sending or receiving anything sensitive over email without encrypting it with something like PGP, you are doing it wrong.

2025 Update: PGP/GPG remains the gold standard for email encryption, but it’s still too complex for most users. Alternatives have emerged:

End-to-end encrypted email services: ProtonMail, Tutanota offer encryption by default
S/MIME is more enterprise-friendly than PGP and supported by major email clients
Signal or secure messaging apps are often more practical than encrypted email for sensitive conversations
Full disk encryption (BitLocker, FileVault) is now standard and should be enabled on all devices

The spirit of Matt’s advice remains critical: pre-emptive encryption is like a seatbelt—you hope you never need it, but it’s essential to have.

Instant Messaging in 2025

Matt’s 2015 advice was simple:

Instant messaging technology is great, but it makes it too easy to be interrupted, and in science, interruptions are fatal to good research. The people that actually need to be in touch with you can call, SMS or email.

This advice has not aged well. In 2025, instant messaging is essential for remote/hybrid work:

The 2025 Reality:

Slack, Teams, Discord are the primary communication channels in many organizations
Email is too slow for time-sensitive coordination
Hybrid work requires real-time chat for quick questions and team cohesion
Completely disabling IM isolates you from your team

My Take: Don’t Turn It Off, Manage It

Instead of Matt’s “turn it off” approach, use these strategies:

Status and Boundaries:

Use status indicators aggressively: “In a meeting,” “Focusing,” “Away”
Set “Do Not Disturb” during deep work blocks
Communicate your availability norms to your team

Notification Management:

Disable most notifications—check proactively instead
Use @mentions sparingly and only for urgent matters
Mute non-essential channels

Async-First Communication:

Default to async (don’t expect immediate responses)
Use threads to keep conversations organized
Over-communicate context so others can respond when they check in

Time-Boxing:

Check messaging apps at specific intervals (e.g., every 90 minutes)
Batch-respond to messages rather than constant context-switching
Use “focus time” features that auto-respond with your schedule

When to Actually Turn It Off:

During writing/deep analysis sessions
When working on deadline-critical tasks
During dedicated “no-interruption” hours (communicate this to team)

The key difference from 2015: IM isn’t optional anymore, but you can control how it affects your workflow.

Academic Tools & Systems

Laptop Setup and Infrastructure

Matt offers practical advice about laptop-centered workflows:

When choosing a laptop, optimize size and battery life for mobility; maximize hard-drive space. Use a server for number-crunching.

Get an external keyboard, mouse and monitor. Big second monitors boost productivity.

Make your laptop your centralized data store to avoid synchronization headaches.

Use your laptop as your primary hard drive, and backup your laptop on a weekly basis.

Buy a separate power adapter for every location where you regularly use a laptop.

2025 Update: Cloud Has Changed Everything

Matt’s advice to make “your laptop your centralized data store” made sense in 2015 when sync was unreliable. In 2025, the opposite approach is often better:

Cloud-First Storage:

Cloud storage is the central store: OneDrive, Google Drive, iCloud, Dropbox provide seamless multi-device sync
Version history: Cloud services keep file versions automatically—better than manual backups
Collaboration: Shared folders and real-time co-editing are standard
Accessibility: Access files from any device, anywhere

Laptop Selection in 2025:

The landscape has changed significantly since Matt’s 2015 advice:

Storage is less critical: With ubiquitous cloud storage, 256-512GB local storage often suffices for most workflows. However, if you work with large datasets, video editing, or need extensive offline access, invest in more storage.
Battery life is paramount: Aim for genuine 10+ hours of battery life. Check real-world reviews, not manufacturer claims. Long battery life reduces anxiety and increases the locations where you can work productively.
Processor architecture—know your needs first:
- Evaluate your software requirements before choosing: Make a list of the critical applications you use daily
- Some workflows (certain engineering tools, scientific computing, Windows-specific enterprise software) still require traditional x86/x64 processors
- Other workflows run excellently on newer ARM-based systems with superior battery efficiency
- There’s no universal “best”—only what’s best for your specific use case
- When in doubt, check software compatibility lists or trial the device with your actual workflow
Weight matters for mobility: If you carry your laptop daily, even a 50g difference becomes significant over time. Balance this against screen size needs—a 13-14” laptop is often the sweet spot for academics.
Repairability and longevity: Consider devices that can be upgraded (RAM, storage) and repaired. A laptop that lasts 5-7 years with minor upgrades is often better value than replacing every 2-3 years.

My advice: Don’t buy based on specs or brand loyalty—buy based on the software you actually need to run. If possible, test with your workflow before committing.

The Multiple Power Adapter Tip:

Still valid! Having adapters at office, home, and travel bag eliminates the “forgot my charger” problem
Modern USB-C chargers work across devices (phone, tablet, laptop)—more versatile than proprietary chargers

Backup Strategy:

Cloud sync ≠ backup (accidental deletion syncs everywhere)
Use automated backup: Time Machine (Mac), File History (Windows), or third-party solutions
Follow 3-2-1 rule: 3 copies, 2 different media types, 1 offsite

Calendar Systems

Matt advocates for digital calendar systems:

As a graduate student, life was simple enough that I could keep what I had to do and all the major deadlines in my head. As a professor and a father, my schedule is packed with a random assortment of appointments and places to be. My wife and I synchronize our calendars using Google Calendar.

Still completely valid in 2025. Calendar management is one area where the fundamentals haven’t changed much:

Best Practices:

Share calendars with spouse/family for coordination
Use calendar blocking: Schedule deep work time, not just meetings
Color-coding: Different colors for different types of activities
Default reminders: Set notifications that actually work for your workflow
Time zone support: Essential for remote collaboration

2025 Additions:

Virtual meeting links auto-generated and added to events (Zoom, Teams, Meet)
Smart scheduling (Calendly, Doodle) eliminates email back-and-forth
Calendar analytics (Clockwise, Reclaim.ai) help optimize your schedule

Collaboration Tools and Workflows

Matt offers advice for managing research groups and collaborative work:

Running a research group is a lot like running a small business. Make it real by branding your research group: give it a name.

Exploit collaboration tools for writing papers. CVS was the old standard. Subversion (SVN) has been accepted across many academic disciplines.

Set up a virtual dedicated server to run services (ssh, email, shared disk, web sites, forums, wikis, svn) for your research group.

2025 Update: The Collaboration Revolution

Matt’s technical recommendations are completely outdated, but his principle—reduce friction in collaboration—remains vital.

Version Control: Git Has Won

CVS and SVN are essentially extinct in 2025. Git is now the universal standard:

GitHub is the default platform for most academic projects (public repos are free, with education benefits)
GitLab and Bitbucket are alternatives with similar features
Overleaf integrates Git for LaTeX collaboration—no manual BibTeX syncing needed
Even non-programmers use Git through GUI tools (GitHub Desktop, Sourcetree)

Collaborative Writing:

The landscape has transformed since 2015:

Google Docs/Microsoft 365: Real-time co-editing, commenting, suggesting changes—no version conflicts
Overleaf: LaTeX collaboration with real-time editing, Git integration, and reference management
Notion/Confluence: Knowledge bases and documentation with version history
Quip/Coda: More structured than Google Docs, better for complex documents

Infrastructure for Research Groups:

Matt’s advice to set up your own server is no longer practical or necessary:

Instead of self-hosting:

GitHub/GitLab for code, data, and even paper repositories
Slack/Discord for team communication (free for academic groups)
Google Workspace or Microsoft 365 for email and document collaboration (often free for academic institutions)
Zotero groups or Mendeley teams for shared reference libraries
Cloud storage (Box, Dropbox, institutional storage) for large files

When you DO need compute infrastructure:

Use institutional HPC clusters for computation
Cloud platforms (AWS, Google Cloud, Azure) offer academic credits
Colab/Kaggle for collaborative notebooks with free GPU access

The Branding Tip:

Matt’s suggestion to “brand your research group” is still valuable—a memorable name helps with identity and cohesion. However, in 2025, extend this to:

Create a simple website (GitHub Pages is free and easy)
Establish a social media presence (Twitter/X, Mastodon, LinkedIn)
Maintain a group GitHub organization for code and data sharing
Consider an email newsletter for sharing updates

Reference Management Systems

Matt acknowledges that manual BibTeX management doesn’t scale:

In grad school, I managed a BibTeX file by hand. Whenever I started working on multiple projects with multiple people, this system would start to collapse.

He mentions Paperpile and Sciwheel as solutions. Both still exist in 2025, but the landscape has expanded:

Popular Reference Managers in 2025:

Zotero (free, open-source): Excellent browser integration, robust syncing, extensive plugin ecosystem. Works with Word, Google Docs, LibreOffice, and Overleaf
Mendeley (free, Elsevier-owned): Good PDF annotation, social features, institutional library integration
Paperpile (subscription): Best Google Docs integration, clean interface, good for collaborative workflows
EndNote (expensive): Traditional choice, strong institutional support, but clunky interface
ReadCube Papers (subscription): Beautiful interface, excellent PDF reading experience

2025 Best Practices:

Choose based on your writing environment: If you write in Google Docs, Paperpile or Zotero. If you use Word, Zotero or Mendeley. If you use LaTeX, Zotero with BetterBibTeX.
Browser extensions are essential: One-click saving of references while browsing
Sync across devices: Cloud sync is now standard—work on any device
Shared libraries: Collaborate on reference collections with your team
Automated metadata: Modern tools pull metadata automatically from DOIs, ISBNs, PMIDs

My Recommendation: Start with Zotero. It’s free, open-source, regularly updated, and works with virtually every workflow. The community support and plugin ecosystem are unmatched.

Salvaging Dead Time with Technology

Matt’s Original Advice:

Matt emphasized carrying technology to make use of “dead time”—waiting rooms, commutes, queues. His recommendations included an Android phone, portable laptop, and iPod for audiobooks/podcasts.

Why This Matters:

Modern life still includes substantial “dead time”: commuting, waiting for appointments, standing in lines. The difference in 2025 is that smartphones have become incredibly powerful, often eliminating the need for multiple devices.

2025 Technology Stack:

Smartphone as primary device: Modern flagship phones (iPhone 15/16, Galaxy S24, Pixel 9) are powerful enough for most dead-time activities
E-readers for focused reading: Kindle, Kobo, or Boox devices provide distraction-free reading with excellent battery life
Wireless earbuds: AirPods, Galaxy Buds, or Sony WF series for podcasts and audiobooks without tangled cables
Lightweight tablets: iPad Mini or small Android tablets fill the gap between phone and laptop

Content for Dead Time:

Podcasts: Academic podcasts, industry news, language learning (Overcast, Pocket Casts, Spotify)
Audiobooks: Audible, Libro.fm, library apps (Libby/OverDrive) for consuming books during commutes
RSS feeds: Curated article feeds synced across devices (Feedly, Inoreader, NetNewsWire)
Offline-capable apps: Download Wikipedia articles, research papers, or course materials for offline access
Quick-task apps: Use waiting time for email triage, task planning, or note capture

The Caution:

While salvaging dead time can be productive, don’t forget that downtime has value too. Constant consumption and stimulation can lead to burnout. Sometimes the waiting room is a good place to simply rest, observe, or let your mind wander—these “do nothing” moments can be surprisingly restorative and creative.

Strategic Productivity Principles

Productive Procrastination

Matt offers a clever reframing of procrastination:

If you must procrastinate, try to procrastinate on something with a later deadline rather than something frivolous. I often spend the day before a submission deadline working on my next paper or grant proposal.

This advice is timeless and brilliant. The insight: channel procrastination energy toward productive work rather than fighting it entirely.

How to implement:

Maintain multiple projects at different stages: When stuck on Project A, switch to Project B
Keep a “procrastination-friendly” task list: Tasks that feel productive but don’t require deep focus (cleaning up code, organizing references, drafting emails, literature review)
Structured procrastination: Always have tasks with fake urgent deadlines so you procrastinate by doing actually important work
The Two-Project System: Always have one “main” project and one “backup” project. When stuck on main, work on backup

My addition: Distinguish between productive procrastination (working on other valuable tasks) and destructive procrastination (endless scrolling, watching videos). The former is a productivity hack; the latter is just wasted time.

Exercise for Creativity

Matt describes integrating exercise into his workflow:

I turned my office into a small but complete gym. The first piece of equipment is still my most frequently used—my 10 to 90 pound adjustable dumbbells. On average, I probably work out 120 minutes each week, but those 120 minutes are harvested from what used to be time spent pondering at my desk. Now, I ponder while lifting weights.

The Core Insight: Exercise isn’t a time trade-off if you integrate it with thinking time. Lower the transaction cost to near-zero by keeping equipment immediately accessible.

2025 Considerations:

Not everyone has a private office:

Shared office spaces make this harder
Home office setups work well for this
Consider: resistance bands (more portable than dumbbells), pull-up bar, yoga mat

Alternative approaches:

Walking meetings: Take phone calls while walking
Standing desk with balance board: Micro-movements while working
Pomodoro + exercise: 25 min work, 5 min movement break
Lunch workout: Use gym during midday break, think about problems while exercising

The Science (Matt didn’t know but we do now):

Exercise increases BDNF (brain-derived neurotrophic factor), promoting neuroplasticity
Aerobic exercise improves executive function and creativity
Even brief movement breaks enhance focus and reduce mental fatigue

My Take: The specific form of exercise matters less than making it frictionless. Matt’s adjustable dumbbells worked for him. Find what works for you—just make it so easy you can do it during a thinking break.

Iterate Toward Perfection (Not Perfection Itself)

Matt’s final major principle tackles the perfectionism trap:

Treat perfection like a process, not an achievable state. Perfectionism is crippling to productivity. I’ve known academics that can’t even start projects because of perfectionism. I know some academics that defend their lack of productivity by proudly proclaiming themselves to be perfectionists.

His core argument:

The metric academics need to hit is “good enough,” and after that, “better than good enough,” if time permits. Forget that the word perfect exists. Otherwise, one can sink endless amounts of time into a project long after the scientific mission was accomplished. One good-enough paper that got submitted is worth an infinite number of perfect papers that don’t exist.

This is perhaps Matt’s most important advice, and it’s completely timeless.

The Computer Science Publication Model

Matt describes an iterative publication strategy specific to computer science:

Mold an idea until it’s well-formed; provide some examples and motivate intuition. Send this to a workshop to get feedback.

If the idea looks like a good one, empirically validate it and firm up the theory. Send this to a good conference.

If enthusiasm for the idea is high, write the journal article a year or so later, when you’ve had time to distill the essence and impact of the work.

Field-Specific Note: This workflow is specific to computer science where conferences are primary venues and journals are secondary. Other fields (biology, physics, medicine) prioritize journal publications. Adapt the principle—iterative refinement through feedback—to your field’s norms.

The Core Tactics: Lower the Transaction Cost of Starting

Matt’s most actionable advice:

Once you know you’re going to do something, start on it right away: create a blank document file, create a blank presentation file, start drafting the email (with To: field blank). Then, if at any point in the future, you’re moved to work on it, the transaction cost of doing a little more work is near-zero.

Work on a project whenever you’re moved to work on it. Don’t pay attention to deadline ordering unless it’s an n-day project, and only n free days are left.

This is brilliant and still perfectly applicable in 2025.

My Reflection: Why Perfectionism Is So Dangerous in Academia

Perfectionism masquerades as a virtue in academic culture, but it’s often a form of self-sabotage:

The Perfectionism Trap:

Analysis paralysis: Endless research before writing the first word
Premature optimization: Perfecting the introduction before knowing the conclusion
Fear of judgment: Better to have no paper than an imperfect one (completely backward)
Opportunity cost blindness: Time spent polishing Paper A beyond “good enough” is time not spent on Papers B, C, and D

The Antidote—Embrace “Good Enough”:

Set clear “done” criteria before starting: What would make this paper/project acceptable? Write it down.
Version your work explicitly:
- v0.1: Outline and rough draft
- v0.5: Complete draft, ready for feedback
- v1.0: Revised after feedback, submittable
- v1.1+: Revisions based on reviews
Time-box perfectionism: Allow yourself revision time AFTER the core work is done. Set a timer: “I have 2 hours to polish this section, then I move on.”
Ship incomplete work for feedback: Share rough drafts with trusted colleagues. Early feedback prevents wasted effort on wrong directions.
Remember the 80/20 rule: The first 80% of quality takes 20% of time. The last 20% of quality takes 80% of time. Ask yourself: is that last 20% worth it?

Practical Implementation in 2025

Matt’s “create blank files immediately” advice deserves expansion for modern workflows:

When you identify a new task:

Create the structure immediately:
- Blank Google Doc/Overleaf project with title and basic outline
- GitHub repo with README if it’s a coding project
- Notion page or note with initial thoughts
- Calendar block for focused work time
Capture context while it’s fresh:
- Paste relevant URLs, references, or notes
- Write down the “why” and “what” in 2-3 sentences
- List the first 3-5 concrete steps
Lower future friction:
- Set up the environment (install packages, configure tools)
- Create templates if the task is recurring
- Add relevant files to “recent” or “favorites” for easy access

The psychology: Creating the artifact makes the project “real” and reduces the activation energy for future sessions. An empty file waiting for you is much easier to engage with than the abstract idea of “I should start that project.”

A Balanced View on Iteration

While Matt is right that perfectionism kills productivity, there’s nuance:

When to iterate:

Core research findings need to be solid (don’t rush statistics or methodology)
Writing clarity matters—confusing papers don’t get cited
Code that others will use needs documentation and testing

When to ship “good enough”:

Internal reports and documentation
First drafts for feedback
Tools for personal use
Blog posts and informal writing
Conference posters and presentations

The Real Insight: Done and published beats perfect and never-released. You can always write a follow-up paper, but you can’t build a career on unpublished perfection.

Conclusion: The Enduring Wisdom

Matt Might’s 2015 article has aged remarkably well in its core philosophy, even as specific tools and technologies have changed. His central insight—optimize the transaction costs of your environment to align laziness with productivity—remains as powerful in 2025 as it was a decade ago.

What Still Works:

The transaction cost framework for behavior design
Eliminating distractions through environmental control
Batch processing (email, tasks) over constant switching
Productive procrastination over destructive procrastination
“Good enough and done” over “perfect and never-finished”
Integrating exercise with thinking time

What Needed Updating:

Specific tools and technologies (email clients, version control, collaboration platforms)
The reality of remote/hybrid work and digital communication
The intensity of modern digital distractions (algorithms, infinite scroll, smartphones)
Cloud-first workflows over local-first storage

The Meta-Lesson:

Productivity advice should focus on principles over tools. Tools change every few years; human psychology remains constant. Matt’s best advice isn’t about which app to use—it’s about understanding how friction, willpower, and environment shape behavior.

As you implement these strategies, remember: start small, iterate, and customize to your context. What works for a tenured professor with a private office may not work for a graduate student in a shared workspace. What works for a computer scientist may not work for a wet-lab biologist. Adapt the principles to your reality, and be willing to experiment.

The path of least resistance can be the path of maximum productivity—if you deliberately design it that way.